News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-09-01
CARTLOADS OF MONEY.
Gold and Silver in the U. S. Treas.
ury in UNLIMITED Quantities.
from the Chicago News.l

from the Chicago NeWs.l
Few persons, perhaps, who read the
frequently published reports of the tis-
cal operations of the Government give
anv consideration to the vastness and
significance of these operations. 1t Is
only when the auriferOus contents OF
the Treasury vaults are weighed and
measured and placed by the side OF art1-
cles and commodities that are daily
handled by the masses that an intelll-
GENT COMPREHENSION can be obtained by
the people of the financial strength OF
the Treasury and the great extent OF
the Governments fiscal operations.
I find by reference to the latest pub
ished statement of Treasury assets and
liabilities that among the assets was
S2S1, O96. AIT in gold and nearly $780,
100000 in silver, including "a, OO0,0O
of trade dollars and fractional coins.
Taking up this 1921, 900, 900 of gold and
placing it on scales, [ find that the gold
held by the Treasury weighed $40 tons,
and if packed into ordinary carts, one
ton to each cart, it would make n pro
cession two miles long, allowing twenty
feet of space for the movement of each
horse and cart.
The weighing of the silver produces
much more interesting results. Run
ming this over the scales, L find its
weight to be 1896 tons. Measuring it
in carts, as in the case of the gold, the
silver now held by the Treasury would
require the services of 1896 horses and
carts to transport it, and would make a
procession over twenty-one miles i'll
length. The surplus, about which so
much is said in the daily newspapers,
amounts to nearly SAT 100000 an in
crease of S5,000,000 since July l.
Counted as gold, this surplus would
weigh 869 tons. Counted Us silver, it
would weigh 1 1856 tons. Each million
of gold adds 1866 pounds to the sur
plus, and each million of silver adds
50, $50 pounds.
App. ing cubic measurement to the
Treasury goa and silver and piling the
two metals on Pennsylvania avenue as
cordwood is piled before delivery to the
purchaser, find that the gold would
measure thirty seven cords and the sill
yer 400 cords, and that both would OK
tend from the Treasury Department to
Four and Half street, OF from the
Treasury to the Pension Office in q
straight line, and forming a solid wall
eight feet high and four feet broad.
Extending these calculations and com
parsons to the interest bearing debt,
especially interesting results are OBJ
tanned. The public debt reached the
highest point in August, 1965-iust %
years ago-when it was $2,3S1, $50, 295.
The general reader will better appreci-
ate the vastness of this sum when in
formed that it represents 70, 156 tons of
silver, which would make q procession
of carts that would extend from Rich
mond, Va, to point twelve miles
north of Philadelphia, the distance it
would thus cover being 266 miles. The
Understanding debt is now (not includ
ing the Pacific Railroad bonds) $1,001,-
$50, $50, showing that the sum paid has
been 81 1873, $50, AS, or more than one
half of the total amount, and represent
ing 1857 tons of silver dollars, which
would extend 154 miles if packed in
carts containing one ton each.
Reducing these figures to a basis
where they may be intelligently COM
pretended, and that the rapidity with
which the Government has reduced its
bonded debt may be fully realized by
the general reader, I find that the re-
duction has been at the average rate of
$50, 706, 975 each year, SIS, 225, 5S1 each
month, $174, 1S6 each day, 1928 each
hour, and $120.47 for every minute of
the entire twenty-five years. Pursuing
the calculation to the smallest divisible
space of time, the bonded debt of the
United States has been decreased at the
rate of $2.00.7 for every second, or for
every swing of the pendulum, for the
entire period from Aug. 81, 1865, to
July 81, 1887.